3 pair of reefer boxcar sides printed full color on 3 pairs of cardstock, blank on back to glue onto pine, balsa wood or plastic cars

Ferrocarriles Sonora-Baja California. S-BC# 3578, 50-foot single-door boxcar. The Ferrocarril Sonora-Baja California was a government construction project to better unify the country by rail. Construction began in 1937. In accord with the popular socialism of Presidente Lazaro Cardenas, there were no contractors. The SCOP (Secretary of Communications and Public Works) did the work itself. By 1940 the line had reached from Mexicali to Puerto Penasco, where it was stopped by World War II materials shortages. Construction resuming in 1946, building progressed eastward from Puerto Penasco and westward from the Ferrocarril del Pacifico at Benjamin Hill. The line was completed on December 16, 1947. In the eventual consolidation of the federal railways in the 1980’s, S-BC was first rolled into the FCP, then the FCP into FNM. It may be worth noting that in most respects the S-BC operations resembles that of a ‘Bridge Line’ connecting the railways in Southern California to the FCP at Benjamin Hill, Sonora. A large portion of the freight equipment owned by the line was obsolete cars from adjacent railways and used primarily in road maintenance. I even saw a photo of a Santa Fe reefer boxcar with just the reporting marks changed to SBC.

The second car is a 40-foot car dark green with gold lettering "FERROCARRIL del PACIFICO" (formerly Southern Pacific de Mexico, SPdeM). Expanding into Mexico, the Southern Pacific through a reciprocal lease with the Santa Fe, acquired the old Sonora Railway between Nogales and Guaymas. Under the terms of the lease dated July 15, 1898 the Santa Fe obtained joint operating rights over the SP’s line across the Tehachapi Pass in California. In August 1905, construction was started south from Empalme near Guaymas, and then north from Mazatlan and Orendain Junction in 1907. At the end of the revolutionary period (1910-1920) construction was resumed with the last leg to Guadalajara opening April 17, 1927. Incorporated as the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of Mexico on February 5, 1912. The entire line was sold to the Mexican government on December 21, 1951 completing government ownership of all major Mexican lines. After 1951, the subtle movement was toward unification of the railways. With its history predating the formation of the NdeM and intertwined with the Southern Pacific Railroad; the freight cars of the FCP are a study onto them selves.

Third is a 50-foot single-door boxcar. "Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste" was a company that operated a line in southeastern Mexico. In the 1930s the Mexican government decided to build a railroad connecting the NdeM national system with the isolated Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatan. It was completed in 1950 and commemorated with a 5-peso coin. In 1975 the Yucatan and Southeast systems were merged into the Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste. The system was privatized in 1999 and closed in 2007, stranding many guest workers from Central America. The freight connections to and from Mexico were primarily via the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific, with the Santa Fe having the larger share. As such most of the U.S. freight cars seen would have originated in these areas or would have been shipped in Santa Fe or Southern Pacific cars returning to the southwest. A good mix of U.S. based foreign cars for an NdeM model roster would include about 40 to 50% Santa Fe and Southern Pacific with the remainder from the Great Lakes regions, New York and Pennsylvania. These standard-type cars could have been acquired from just about any US railroad. These would fit right in with any steam or diesel-era layout.

If you live in Mexico, you may bid on this but must pay by Paypal and have a US address or US post office box as about half the mail I send to Mexico never seemed to get there.

Red Ball company of Oregon supplied traincar kits 1939-1959 using car sides printed on balsawood so the modeler would not have to mess with decals or dry transfers. Strombecker was another producer of the period, using cardstock printed car sides assembled onto simple wood kits. Simply cut balsa or basswood to the size of the ends and then glue on the printed cardstock sides. A one-sheet of their instructions will be included with your purchase, or you could just glue them to the sides of an existing 40' boxcar with Elmer's glue. Strombecker suggested putting a 3rd piece of wood in the center to keep the sides from bowing, while Red Ball used solid wood sides.

Or buy old boxcars on Ebay and glue these sides onto the sides, or even build your own boxcars and glue them to boxcar frames that come up for sale from time to time on Ebay with trucks and couplers already attached. Ordinary Elmer white glue or Testors wood cement should work just fine and give you plenty of time to position each side just right, these are not stickers. You could even buy plastic boxcar or reefer doors from another Ebay vender and glue them to the center for more of a 3-d look, and/or attach metal-type scale ladders to the side

This would fit right in with any steam or diesel-era layout. If you don't like it, send them back for a full refund

Shipping is about the same rate for US, Canada and world-wide!

"A hobby is something you get goofy about to keep from going goofy about things in general"

If you want other sets, ask for combined shipping so I can put them on a single ebay invoice to wave shipping on the other sets